ashcroft00

I tend to agree with Liberty_in_MA on this one. The portions at Spoleto's seem to have diminished over time and even the entrees have proved underwhelming as of late. Very difficult to beat Typical Sicilian or Red Rose in terms of quality and value. Sorry to say that Lido's is now closed, so we have lost that option.

@greendragon--you are exactly right. The Blue Eagle lost a lot of business as loyal customers no longer felt safe going there. I will give you another example...the Spaghetti Warehouse. The owner of the SW said that he brought in a great lunch business, but could never get anyone to travel there in the evenings for dinner. Red Rose and The Fort are two of the best restaurants in the area (strictly my opinion) and I hope that they do not share the same fate as Lido's.

While I cannot say that I ever felt unsafe or threatened when dining at Lido's, I do believe that Bill has a point. Let's not kid ourselves...the Lido's employee who stood in the parking lot each evening to watch the guest vehicles was not doing so as a pure act of charity. He was there as a deterrent because the neighborhood has degenerated terribly over the past several decades. I do not, however, believe that took away anything from the dining experience at Lido's. The restaurant was always very clean and well maintained. The food was always delicious and I cannot say that I ever had a bad meal in all of the years that I have been going there. My point is that we can still remember Lido's as the great place that it was without trying to put on rose colored glasses when we evaluate the surrounding area.

Agreed! I am, however, curious as to what drove the Cooley Street closure. As others have noted on this board, it seemed to be one of their locations that did a steady business. I could understand why the Wilbraham Road location was closed as that was a very small restaurant, but the Cooley Street closure is somewhat puzzling.

Jim--the reason for poor service is that the vast majority of servers at Friendly's are teens (with little to no restaurant experience) who are making the restaurant-based minimum wage. There is no financial incentive for the most experienced (and pardon the pun), friendliest servers to work there. Experienced servers prefer higher end restaurants where the meal prices (and hence tips) will be greater.

Nonilove and pgcook are exactly right. For years, Friendly's has tried to compete in a market to which they were not suited. I have to believe that if Friendly's had stuck to burgers, hot dogs, fries and shakes they would be in a much better position than they are now. Understanding your customers and what they want is key to succeeding in the restaurant business.

I hate to admit it, but dadoftwo is absolutely right. Restaurant proprietors in the Western Mass area have found it increasingly difficult to compete with the chains and they often leave customers with the impression that they are trying to get every nickel--regardless of your dining experience.

While it remains my preference to patronize local establishments, I will concede that the Longhorn typically goes above and beyond to make the dining experience an enjoyable one. Their steaks are flavorful and the service is always excellent. If something is wrong with your meal, they always attempt to make it right. The only problem with Longhorn is the length of time you have to wait. They could have doubled the size of the restaurant with the crowds they draw. I will be interested to see how the recently opened restaurant in Manchester, CT does.

My family has been going to Amedeo's for many years and I would concur with most of what is said in this restaurant review. Ownership of the restaurant has changed hands a few times, but the menu has (for the most part) remained the same and the quality of the food has always been good. The Chicken Francaise and Sausage Cacciatore that Fran mentioned are both very good. The fries are okay, but not as good as Mel's Restaurant up the road in Holyoke. The pizza is some of the best in Holyoke and it will keep me going back for years to come!

Very sad. It was a homestyle restaurant that served wonderful meals to a loyal customer base. So many of the family style restaurants in the area are closing...Aqua Vitae in Hadley last year and now the Collegian Court in Chicopee. It's terrible to imagine that all we will be left with are the chain restaurants.